Real Madrid clinched their 15th European Cup at a raucous Wembley on Saturday, delivering another late surge to secure a 2-0 victory over Borussia Dortmund. The German side had dominated the first hour and threatened an upset, but Real Madrid’s resilience shone through.
Dortmund had several good chances but failed to capitalize. Real Madrid took control when Dani Carvajal headed in from a corner after 74 minutes, and Vinicius Jr. fired home the second goal, breaking German hearts. This victory secured the trophy for the sixth time in 11 seasons and marked Real’s 11th straight triumph in a European final. Their last defeat came against Aberdeen in the Cup Winners’ Cup 41 years ago.
Carlo Ancelotti’s Record-Extending Triumph
It was a record-extending fifth success as a coach for Carlo Ancelotti, who also won the trophy twice as a player with AC Milan. “I never get used to it, because it was difficult, very difficult, more than expected,” the Italian said. “In the second half we were better – this is a dream that continues.”
Dortmund defender Mats Hummels noted that Madrid has been performing such comebacks for nearly a century. He referenced their first European Cup final in 1956, where they came back from a 2-0 deficit to beat Stade de Reims 4-3, starting their love affair with the competition.
Post-match interviews were filled with words like “clinical,” “ice-cold,” and “belief.” Carvajal summed up the match perfectly after the latest turnaround as his side completed a LaLiga-Champions League double. “After the first half we didn’t even deserve to go to the changing rooms level,” he said. “But we came out of the first half alive, knowing that we would have our moment… and here it is.”
Dortmund’s Missed Opportunities
Dortmund, who had shocked Paris St Germain in the semi-finals, had a dream first half in every aspect other than scoring. Playing with confidence and aggression, their first good chance came after 21 minutes when Karim Adeyemi went too wide when rounding goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois. Then came a flurry of opportunities as Niclas Fuellkrug hit the post and low shots by Julian Brandt and Marcel Sabitzer were saved by Courtois.
Their fans, revelling in their team’s first Champions League final since 2013, did their best to reproduce the yellow wall atmosphere of their Westfalenstadion with noise and unified bouncing that shook the stadium to its foundations. However, Madrid remained unfazed and looked livelier from the start of the second half without really threatening.
Courtois saved a diving header from Fuellkrug, and Dortmund soon rued their missed chances. Carvajal rose to meet a Kroos corner and steered in a glancing header. The assist was a fitting way for Germany midfielder Kroos to mark his final game for the club while Carvajal, Nacho, and Luka Modric all equalled Francisco Gento’s record of six titles from their first era of Real dominance.
Madrid added their second goal when Dortmund’s Ian Maatsen gave the ball away on the edge of his box. LaLiga player of the year and former Dortmund midfielder Jude Bellingham fed Vinicius Jr in space, and the Brazilian fired home unerringly. Despite the defeat, Dortmund’s fans continued to sing, though they and their players will know this was a missed opportunity that will hurt for a long time.
“Today we saw a Dortmund team that we want to see,” said coach Edin Terzic, whose side finished fifth in the Bundesliga. “We played a fantastic game and maybe deserved a bit more than to lose 2-0. We did a lot of things right but they had this killer instinct. They were ice cold and they are deserved champions.”
